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Newswise — March 13, 2017, San Francisco, CA - Glaucoma Research Foundation (GRF) marked World Glaucoma Week today by announcing $1.3 million in research grants. Glaucoma Research Foundation is funding eight researchers at prestigious universities and medical research centers with one-year Shaffer Grants, as well as the four principal investigators engaged in the multi-year “Catalyst for a Cure” biomarker initiative.

Glaucoma Research Foundation is awarding $1 million to the Catalyst for a Cure research team — principal investigators at four laboratories working collaboratively and seeking specific biomarkers for glaucoma — and eight individual grant recipients will receive $40,000 each to support research into the causes and potential new treatment targets for glaucoma. This investment continues Glaucoma Research Foundation’s status as one of the nation’s largest private sources of funding for innovative glaucoma research.

“Glaucoma Research Foundation invests in innovative research to discover the mechanisms by which glaucoma causes vision loss, and to determine the best treatments to preserve vision,” said Thomas M. Brunner, GRF President and CEO. “To date we have funded more than 200 research projects to study all aspects of glaucoma, to discover new treatments and ultimately a cure. The 2017 research grants continue this important work.” he said.

Catalyst for a Cure Research Team seeks Specific Glaucoma Biomarker

The multi-year Catalyst for a Cure consortium is a collaborative research team of four principal investigators. This year $250,000 is being awarded to each researcher. The four investigators are:

• Alfredo Dubra, PhD, Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, Stanford University School of Medicine• Jeffrey L. Goldberg, MD, PhD, Professor and Chair, Department of Ophthalmology, Stanford University School of Medicine• Andrew Huberman, PhD, Associate Professor, Departments of Neurobiology and Ophthalmology, Stanford University School of Medicine• Vivek Srinivasan, PhD, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Davis

The Catalyst for a Cure team has identified several specific potential new biomarkers for glaucoma. This year, the Catalyst for a Cure (CFC) researchers are taking necessary steps to move their studies from the laboratory to the clinic. This will be an exciting and important next step to further test and evaluate a new glaucoma biomarker.

The 2017 Shaffer Grants for Innovative Glaucoma Research

The 2017 research grants to explore new ideas are made possible through generous philanthropic support including leadership gifts from The Alcon Foundation, the Dr. Henry A. Sutro Family Grant for Research, Dr. James and Elizabeth Wise, The Dr. Miriam Yelsky Memorial Research Grant, and the Glaucoma Research Foundation Board of Directors. GRF’s Shaffer Grant Advisory Committee evaluates grant applications and determines the most promising projects for Glaucoma Research Foundation to fund each year. The following 2017 Shaffer Grants will be awarded at $40,000 each:

John G. Flanagan, OD, PhD — University of California BerkeleyProject: The Role of Lipoxins in Neuroprotection: A Pathway to Understanding Glaucoma Brad Fortune, OD, PhD — Devers Eye Institute, Portland, ORProject: Axonal Transport of Mitochondria: Developing an In Vivo Imaging Assay for Glaucoma Research

Alan L. Robin, MD — University of Maryland School of MedicineProject: Meducation—A Randomized Controlled Trial of an Online Educational Video Intervention to Improve Technique and Adherence to Glaucoma Eye Drops

Markus H. Kuehn, PhD — The University of IowaProject: A New Look at the Role of Microglia in Glaucoma

About World Glaucoma WeekEstablished by the World Glaucoma Association and World Glaucoma Patient Association, World Glaucoma Week is a unique initiative to help those with an interest in improved eye health to understand the devastating effects of a condition that will affect 80 million people by 2020. Experts estimate that half of the people with glaucoma are unaware of their condition and could be slowly losing their sight because their glaucoma has not been diagnosed or treated. 2017 marks the 9th year of observance for World Glaucoma Week. “World Glaucoma Week highlights this very important vision problem,” said Andrew G. Iwach, MD, Chair of the GRF Board of Directors. “At Glaucoma Research Foundation we emphasize that a comprehensive eye exam is the best opportunity for prevention. Early detection through regular and complete eye exams is the key to protecting your vision from damage caused by glaucoma.”

About Glaucoma Research FoundationFounded in 1978 and headquartered in San Francisco, Glaucoma Research Foundation is America’s oldest and most experienced nonprofit dedicated solely to its mission: to prevent vision loss from glaucoma by investing in innovative research, education and support with the ultimate goal of finding a cure. Glaucoma Research Foundation has invested more than $50 million into research and education to prevent vision loss from glaucoma. More information is available at www.glaucoma.org/about.